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Post by bigtrombone on Sept 24, 2022 22:56:46 GMT -6
It seems I've been out of the loop. I didn't expect Union to place so low here. Were they hurt badly by COVID? or is it just early season dirt? I've been a big fan of theirs since their 2017 show and I would hate to see a program like theirs struggle I think it's been a mix of COVID, a new director, and some internal drama but I'm not familiar enough with their situation to say for certain. I do know it was bad enough last year that some people were questioning if they would make finals at St. Louis.
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Post by macwinlin on Sept 24, 2022 23:38:07 GMT -6
It seems I've been out of the loop. I didn't expect Union to place so low here. Were they hurt badly by COVID? or is it just early season dirt? I've been a big fan of theirs since their 2017 show and I would hate to see a program like theirs struggle They’ll clean up, but I am worried about them going into Indy. I hate to say that, but I feel they’re weaker than last season at this point, and their show is fairly difficult. They’re also less than half the size they were in 2017. I hope, in true Union fashion, they’ll rebound in a few seasons.
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Post by coleeich on Sept 25, 2022 6:36:24 GMT -6
I am nervous that the results of this contest may be misinterpreted as groups such as Jenks, Choctaw, and Coweta being weaker this year or something like that. On the contrary, I think this is an incredibly strong year for bands at this contest. I think that ESF beating Jenks is a testament to them being AMAZING, not Jenks being flawed. I think Jenks will still easily make finals at their Super Regional. I also hope that the strength of Bixby's performance and score is taken into account when looking at the Top 32 this week. They were incredible and I think history has taught us that they are generally a very strong band early season. They will still be great later this season, but other groups may catch up. All this to say is I think right now in this early season ranking, they could easily be considered to be in the Next 10 and maybe even low in the top 32. Just some food for thought. There are so really incredible bands out there, and I just want them to receive the credit they deserve!
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Post by bongoboy on Sept 25, 2022 10:12:29 GMT -6
It seems I've been out of the loop. I didn't expect Union to place so low here. Were they hurt badly by COVID? or is it just early season dirt? I've been a big fan of theirs since their 2017 show and I would hate to see a program like theirs struggle Always a lot of reasons but it can’t be ignored that Union is finally succumbing to its demographic makeup. The district has gone from a suburban district to an urban district that is mostly minority and over 90% of the students on reduced lunch. This doesn’t mean that minority majority districts can’t be successful in band but it does mean great band programs require disposable income. We all know what it costs to pay for extra directors, travel, props, etc. This isn’t saying you can count Union out. This shift in demographics happened over 15-20 years. Their football program is wildly successful. But COVID seemed to hit their program harder than other districts surrounding them for sure.
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